A 45-year-old Kannapolis man was arrested Thursday after police said he hid nearly $300 worth of smoked turkey, shrimp, ribeye steak and baby-back ribs in his pants.
According to a Salisbury Police report, Ronald Eugene Broadway, 709 Evelyn Ave., was charged after police said Broadway was seen pulling the assorted packages from the fly of his pants and sliding them under vehicles in the Food Lion parking lot at 525 W. Jake Alexander Blvd.
After taking Broadway into custody, police found he was wearing a pair of sweatpants under a pair of jeans and had taped the bottom of the sweatpants together with duct tape.
Officers said they believe the man used the tape to keep the store’s products from falling through his pants legs.
But Broadway said that’s not the reason.
“He said he was doing it because it was cold outside,” the report said. Police noted in the report that at the time of arrest, 6:15 p.m., the temperature was in the mid-60s.
Officers were notified by a store employee who said one of the store’s managers had been watching Broadway. After Broadway realized he was being watched, he began trying to hide the products under vehicles in the parking lot.
After an initial investigation, police said eight bags of shrimp, eight ribeye steaks, a smoked turkey, two cans of barbecue and a pack of baby-back ribs.
The amount reported as stolen totaled $283.32.
Broadway was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting. He was given a $3,000 bond.